[3] Pearl powder is widely believed to help improve the appearance of the skin, and is used as a cosmetic by royal families in Asia.
A typical dose is 1 gram of pearl powder taken by mouth, traditionally mixed into water or tea, twice weekly.
Pearl powder was an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), in the treatment of eye diseases, tuberculosis and to prevent heart attacks.
The medical book Bencao Gangmu of the Ming dynasty claimed that pearl can stimulate new skin growth and healing, release toxins, and remove sun damage and age spots.
Narahari, a physician of Kashmir, wrote in about 1240 that the pearl was an antidote to poisons, cured conditions of the eyes, consumption and "morbid disturbances", and increased general strength and health.
[8] In the Philippines from pre-colonial times, selected youths called binukot are special type of princes and princesses that were kept in seclusion and hidden from the sun in order to have fair and white skin.